Goals: The chanichim will understand that even though we morn the חורבן, חורבן in itself is the first step of the גאולה.

שיעור חורבן-גאולה

Goals: The chanichim will understand that even though we morn the חורבן, חורבן in itself is the first step of the גאולה.

1.      The story of יום ירושלים last year on הר הזיתים, and the debate weather to tare my shirt or not. Explain the dilemma, sadness on the day of rejoice…

2.       Read through the story of Rabbi Akiva, and ask the following questions:

·        Who tore their clothing in the story? What does that express?

·        Why did the rabbis cry? Why did Rabbi Akiva laugh?

·        Is there a problem with Rabbi Akiva's response? Why does he use present tense?

·        What did the rabbis understand now that they failed to previously that consoled them so?

3.      Conclude that Rabbi Akiva saw the manifestation of the חורבן as the first steps to גאולה. What does that mean? How do we see that reaching a low point is a beginning of a new growth? Bring examples and ask them for examples from their lives… When things go so bad, people start thinking of ways to change, to do things differently, and to improve. That starts the wheels turning and things can change and become better. Rabbi Akiva saw that if the חורבן  was taking place, this would cause people to understand that things went wrong, and begin changing their ways, looking for improvement. Although this is a very long process, almost 2000 years now, we see that Rabbi Akiva was right, and the חורבן  was indeed the first step to גאולה.

4.      Read the פסוקים of זכריה ח\י"ח-י"ט, which describe the transformation of the fast days to holidays. Why don't they just become weekdays? The answer is that from the חורבן  we grow, we advance, and therefore the days of חורבן are happy in a sense, because they promise a future of גאולה. We obviously can't celebrate on the days of destruction, as we saw even Rabbi Akiva tore his clothing, but we should understand that it's the beginning, and there will be what to celebrate when the full גאולה  will come in the end.

5.      Read the פסוק from תהילים מ"ו\ט' that recommends going to see the desolate land if one wants to see the wonders of God. This פסוק  demonstrates the same idea.

Destruction and Redemption- גלות וגאולה

1.       "פעם אחת היו עולין לירושלים (רבן גמליאל, רבי אלעזר בן עזריה, רבי יהושע ורבי עקיבא) כיון שהגיעו להר הצופים קרעו בגדיהם (כדין הרואה ערי יהודה בחורבנן). כיון שהגיעו להר הבית ראו שועל שיצא מבית קדשי הקדשים - התחילו הן בוכין ור' עקיבא מצחק. אמרו לו: מפני מה אתה מצחק? אמר להם: מפני מה אתם בוכים? אמרו לו: מקום שכתוב בו "והזר הקרב יומת" ועכשיו שועלים הלכו בו, ולא נבכה?! אמר להן: לכך אני מצחק! דכתיב "ואעידה לי עדים נאמנים את אוריה הכהן ואת זכריה בן יברכיהו"... באוריה כתיב: "לכן בגללכם ציון שדה תחרש", בזכריה כתיב: "עוד ישבו זקנים וזקנות ברחובות ירושלים" - עד שלא נתקיימה נבואתו של אוריה הייתי מתיירא שלא תתקיים נבואתו של זכריה, עכשיו, שנתקיימה נבואתו של אוריה - בידוע שנבואתו של זכריה מתקיימת. בלשון הזה אמרו לו: עקיבא ניחמתנו, עקיבא ניחמתנו". (מכות כד:)

Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarya, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Akiva went up to Jerusalem (after the destruction of the Temple). When they reached Mount Scopus, they rent their garments (since they saw the Temple despoiled). When they reached the area of the Temple Mount, they saw a jackal run out of the site where once the Holy of Holies had been. They began to weep, except for Rabbi Akiva, who laughed. They asked him why he laughed and he asked them why they wept. They said to him, "This is the place concerning which the Torah says, and the stranger who enters it shall die and now a jackal runs through it - shall we not weep?" And he replied, "This is exactly why I laugh, for it says (Isaiah 8)," And I shall call as faithful witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zecharia the son of Yovarchiya". Uriah said: "Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be ploughed over as a field". And Zecharia said: "There shall yet come a day when old men and old women will dwell in the streets of Jerusalem... and the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in the streets". Until I saw that the prophecy of Uriah was unfulfilled, I feared that that of Zecharia would not be either. Now that I have seen the fulfillment of the words of Uriah, I know for certain that the prophecy of Zecharia is coming true." And hearing this, in this language did the rabbis respond: "Akiva, you have comforted us ..."

2.       "לכו חזו מפעלות ה' אשר שם שמות בארץ" (תהילים מ"ו\ט')                               "Come, behold the works of Hashem, who has made the desolations in the earth".

3.       יח וַיְהִי דְּבַר-ה' צְבָאוֹת, אֵלַי לֵאמֹר.  יט כֹּה-אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת, צוֹם הָרְבִיעִי וְצוֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי וְצוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וְצוֹם הָעֲשִׂירִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵית-יְהוּדָה לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה, וּלְמֹעֲדִים, טוֹבִים; וְהָאֱמֶת וְהַשָּׁלוֹם, אֱהָבוּ. (זכריה ח\י"ח-י"ט)                      

"And the word of the Lord the hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of the hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall become times of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts to the house of Yehudah".